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Defenses strengthen home remedies and tips
Autumn, we think of colored leaves, of how nature changes from green to orange, red and yellow. We think of fog, the golden twilight of the sun, of chestnuts and acorns for the wild boar in Tiergarten, and of freshly squeezed juice from our own apples. We also think of colds, coughs, hoarseness, the cold, which between September and November throws their nets as securely as the leaves fall from the trees.
contents
- Comes cold from cold?
- Viruses can penetrate better
- The immune system - killer cells and antibodies
- lymphocytes
- Congenital and learned defense
- Strengthen the body's defense system
- Stress and malnutrition
- Vitamin A
- vitamin C
- Vitamin D
- Vitamin E
- Move
- sleep
- minerals
- zinc
- selenium
- roughage
- Relaxation
- forest Hiking
Comes cold from cold?
The word cold is strictly speaking wrong. It is an acute infection of the nose and / or paranasal sinuses, throat or bronchi. This has only indirectly to do with the cold, because it is a viral inflammation. The trigger is not the cold, but a virus. And yet the fall has something to do with the fact that these "cold viruses" are spreading at this time of year. The reason for this is the weakened immune system. The change from warmth to cold, between sweating and freezing ensures that the mucous membranes dry out.
In autumn and winter we have an increased risk of colds due to the weakened immune system. (Image: DDRockstar / fotolia.com) Viruses can penetrate better
As a result, viruses can penetrate better and infect those affected - this means coughing, runny nose, hoarseness and fever, nausea, body aches and dizziness as the pathogens invade. Inflamed bronchi can grow into pneumonia.
The immune system - killer cells and antibodies
In the bodies of the vertebrates, a war is raging in which "both sides" have been battling for millions of years. Viruses, bacteria and parasites are finding ever more sophisticated strategies to infiltrate into the organism that keep white blood cells in the bone marrow with pinpoint "counter-terrorism".
lymphocytes
The body uses antibodies that target the intruder and dock with the antigens of the pathogen. The "weapons factory" of the immune system are the B lymphocytes from the bone marrow and the T lymphocytes from the thymus. The latter turn into killer cells as soon as they recognize the foreign antigens. Moreover, they signal the danger to other immune cells, and they kill the remaining pathogens.
Congenital and learned defense
For example, antigens are proteins on the surface of viruses, fungi and bacteria. The immune system remembers a once-attacked intruder, and when it reappears, a chain reaction of cellular processes begins to destroy it. Innate and learned defenses play together, and just as bacteria and viruses change over and over again, the immune system adjusts to these changes.
Strengthen the body's defense system
This immune defense can falter for a variety of reasons. These can be, on the one hand, previous infections that have eradicated their control of the immune system. In a re-infection, there are not enough defender cells to kill the pathogen.
Age leads to a natural weakening, as does the earliest childhood. Infants have not yet built up the immune system, moreover, babies and toddlers lack the memory of the defense forces: their cell armies do not know many pathogens and therefore let them pass.
In a typical influenza infection in autumn, the body already needs its immune powers to balance the cold and wet.
Factors such as stress, environmental toxins or drugs weaken the immune system. (Image: psdesign1 / fotolia.com) Stress and malnutrition
Other factors may include: stress, inadequate supply of vitamins, minerals and fiber, no physical activity (lack of exercise), environmental pollutants (especially smog in Third World metropolises), certain medications, age, the after-effects of surgery or chronic Diseases.
As a general rule, the stronger our immune system is, the less we suffer from infectious diseases.
First, we should be sufficiently supplied with nutrients, so first of all pay attention to a balanced mixed diet. Essential for the immune system are vitamins A, C, D and E, plus iron and zinc.
Vitamin A
Vitamin A supports the growth of bones, vision, the formation of teeth, the reproduction of cells, the production of hormones and ensures that the genetic codes are conveyed, so that proteins are available to perform elementary functions of the body.
The two forms of vitamin A are derived from plants and animals: beta carotene in carrots, pumpkins, spinach, mangoes and apricots, the other form is liver. As with all vitamins, you should not overdo it and be careful with dietary supplements. A vitamin A deficiency makes the body susceptible to infection, but an overdose can make the bones become brittle and thinning the skin.
vitamin C
Vitamin C in the form of orange juice or rosehip tea is an old home remedy for colds. Rightly so: A lack of vitamin C leads to dry hair, chapped skin and delayed healing of wounds, but also to a high risk of infectious diseases.
Recipe for rosehip tea
- Add two teaspoons of dried rosehip to a cup
- Brew the fruits with a quarter liter of boiling water
- Now let the infusion draw for ten minutes and then strain
Vitamin C strengthens the vessels and helps to form collagen. It balances the immune system, supports a weak immune system, but also slows down an active immune defense. This helps especially against diseases that cause viruses. Vitamin is not only helpful but necessary for the body to protect itself from harmful penetration.
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits, whether lemon, orange or mandarin, lime or grapefruit. Hot tea with lemon is therefore quite rightly a proven way to protect yourself from colds.
Rosehips contain a lot of vitamin C and are therefore ideal for strengthening the body's defenses. (Image: lesichkadesign / fotolia.com) Late summer and autumn delivers vitamin C bombs in their own garden: raspberries such as blackberries, blueberries and currants, as well as rose hips. We can either eat raw, marmalade or dry.
Heating causes the disappearance of vitamin C. These fruits still contain the vitamin in a tea with hot water, but in order to give themselves the full dose, they should not heat the fruits.
Vitamin D
Vitamin D is medically not a vitamin because people produce it in their own body, while vitamins just indicate that we can not. It dissolves in fat, and that's why we store it in body fat.
Vitamin D pulls the skin out of the sunlight. Therefore, walks in daylight are crucial, even if the sun is just peeping out between the clouds in October so we get enough vitamin D.
Without the vitamin, we can not absorb calcium and phosphorus and form bones. Vitamin D works by causing cells to perform specific tasks and stops their uncontrolled proliferation. For the immune system this means: Vitamin D ensures the normal development of the cells and thus stops autoimmune diseases. These diseases arise because the "killer cells" of the immune system are falsely directed against cells of the body.
Vitamin E
Hardly known, but vital - that's vitamin E. It slows down the aging of the body, keeps the networks of nerves stable, and supports the muscles.
In the organism, vitamin E acts as a binding agent: it links muscles and bones and keeps the connections between the cells intact. Without the cooperation of the cells, the immune system breaks down, and therefore the substance is essential for the immune defense.
Vitamin E is best sourced from olive oil, soybean oil and corn oil. Higher doses contain green leafy vegetables, also nuts, lentils and wheat are a good source. In animal products, it occurs in large quantities only in the liver, heart and kidneys, in addition to milk and eggs.
Move
The immune defense remains high only when we stress the body. It is not about competitive sports - it can even weaken the immune system through an excess of certain hormones and mineral consumption.
Strength training, cycling and hiking are ideal for strengthening the immune system.
Regular exercise in the fresh air is important to stay healthy and fit in the fall and winter.(Image: Halfpoint / fotolia.com)
sleep
During sleep the body regenerates - also biochemically. If you constantly sleep too little, it weakens the immune system.
In 2015, a study by scientists led by Sheldon Cohen on 164 subjects found that even a slight lack of sleep weakens the immune system and facilitates the infection with cold viruses. Those who slept only six or fewer hours per night, caught more than four times as often as people who slept longer, regardless of stress levels, age and other parameters.
minerals
In addition to vitamins, some minerals are important to keep the immune system stable, especially iron and zinc.
Iron is immediately part of the body's defenses, because it supports the phagocytes of the immune system in the fight against pathogens and foreign substances. Iron is in the blood, so women need extra iron for and during their menses, as well as during pregnancy.
Iron deficiency is manifested not only as fatigue, decreased performance and anemia, but also as an increased susceptibility to infections. The complaint of a woman who suffers from iron deficiency "I am always sick", so is not a pity: The affected actually slide from one infection to the next.
Iron is found in eggs, meat, green vegetables, almonds and avocados. The mineral is also present in bread, milk and cereals, but can not be absorbed well by the human body in this form.
zinc
Zinc activates killer cells and contributes to the production of antibodies. Too little zinc in the body is clearly indicated by the fact that wounds heal badly. Without zinc, we have an infection longer than usual because there are too few killer cells available to kill the invaders.
Nuts, wholegrain and lentils contain adequate amounts of zinc. It is found in foods rich in proteins such as beef, pork or lamb.
For the supply of the body with sufficient zinc, nuts and legumes are ideally suited. (Image: colnihko / fotolia.com) selenium
Selenium is not considered vital but is important for the immune system. Selenium helps enzymes that break down the free radicals, so aggressive compounds of oxygen that damage the genetic material. It is necessary to build up the body's own protein and stabilizes the immune system.
Selenium occurs in Brazil nuts and vegetables, red meat, eggs, chicken and liver.
Without selenium, the immune system can not work, and the body can no longer produce certain proteins.
roughage
A significant role for the immune system play intestine and stomach. Without gastric acidity and intestinal flora we would be constantly infected with infections. The gastric acid already eliminates a lot of pathogens.
But some pathogens enter the intestine. Therefore, the networks of the immune system are closely linked to the intestine, the lymph nodes are the action centers.
The intestinal flora consists of various bacteria in the colon, which keep pathogens in check. Unfortunately, antibiotics also damage this intestinal flora, and for this reason we often get diarrhea after taking plenty of antibiotics.
We promote the intestinal flora with fiber. These lead us to cereals, fruits, vegetables and legumes. Buttermilk and sour milk, sauerkraut and other pickled vegetables support the growth of healthy and important intestinal bacteria.
Relaxation
Stress is sometimes not negative and promotes in moderation the immune system. However, chronic stress hurts the immune system because it sets it permanently on alert, and the resulting production of immune cells depletes resources. Therefore, infections occur more frequently than normal and last longer. Typical stress infections include herpes in the mouth and cold.
In order to reduce negative stress, techniques of meditation are offered as well as forest walks, yoga or autogenic training.
Stress is also created today by the much-praised multitasking. People do not create anything because they try to do everything at the same time. Instead, you get confused, dissatisfied, and stress yourself.
When you focus on just one thing at a time, you work in a focused, less stressful way.
To want to do everything at once quickly leads to us literally "getting bogged down" and getting stressed out. (Image: Elnur / fotolia.com) forest Hiking
Exercise is good for the immune system. However, forest hiking has another effect that directly protects against disease, and the Japanese scientists now found out.
Physicians from the Nippon Medical Society in Tokyo came to the conclusion: A regular stay in the forest increases the amount of immune cells in the body by 40% and developed the so-called forest therapy. In one study, the participants' immune cells doubled after just two days, as they spent several hours in the forest. What's more, her immune system remained at this high level for a full month as a result of Asian forest therapy.
This is most likely due to terpenes, messengers that eject trees and warn other plants of harmful agents. The biochemistry of plants understands this and immediately builds up defense cells. The immune system of humans also responds to this warning of the forests and stimulates the production of immune cells.
To strengthen our immune system, the simple method is that the more regular we are in the forest, the stronger our immune system, and the more stable it remains at a high level. (Dr. Utz Anhalt)